


Shorthand

by hummingrightalong



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Comedy, Getting to Know Each Other, Grant Ward Isn't Hydra, Season 1, Team Bus - Freeform, silly little thing from my headcanon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-06
Updated: 2017-01-06
Packaged: 2018-09-15 04:21:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9218648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hummingrightalong/pseuds/hummingrightalong
Summary: Early team bus. Skye and Ward aren't seeing eye to eye on her training, so she takes a break to see what Simmons is up to in the lab. Shortly after, she discovers that science can be as hazardous as field work.





	

If he were ever going to admit that he had been flattered into beginning Skye's trianing, it would only be to himself, and only if he were really at end of his rope. Even then he manages to tell himself not to be all that embarrassed about a sort-of legend at S.H.I.E.L.D. complimenting him into an extra responsibility around this floating-isle-of-misfit-toys he imagined it to be when he was told in no uncertain terms that the bus assignment was happening regardless of experience or enthusiasm.  
Agent Ward also felt that, despite being assigned to a babysitting job within a babysitting job, that he was already kind of found of everyone around here, including Skye despite where her loyalities used to lie. So most of the time he was far easier on her than any of his mentors had been. He knew her background a bit, knew that because of that she probably had far more potential than she let on and even intentional sabotagued any real good opportunites for herself with occasional moments of brilliance.  
Ward knew that because, despite his professional success, he ruined any personal relationship that might start to get good before it would end. Because he'd been burned before, because he didn't want to be again, maybe (like his new friends might try to tell him in the coming days and months) because he was an idiot and he could be a lot happier than he has been.  
Most of that side (and the rest directly responsible for it) his difficulties socializing meant that he had a significantly shorter fuse than some S.O.s when it came to difficult cases.   
Not that the girl he'd resently released Skye to- for a much needed break for both herself and her trainer- had a better grasp of normal socialization or any care to pretend like she did. Yet somehow, despite Simmons being a bit of an odd bird most likely due to being so intelligent it was hard for an average mind to get close, she had been getting close to Skye whenever they had the free time to chat.   
One might even catch Simmons putting her experiments aside to girl talk with the other young woman. Fitz had already confided in Ward that this was even more abnormal than he imagined. Simmons didn't have "girlfriends", or too many other friends at all, especially outside of the scientific community or any place/any time that Fitz wasn't there to be practically a siamese twin for every waking momnet. Ward returned, in spite of himself and feeling a little guilty for talking about his student's progress, that their Skye was likely the same way. Sweet, charming, intelligent and fun, but desperately insecure about her place in the world.   
Fitz had looked pointedly at Ward, shrugged, and everyone alone to go brew some Scottish breakfast tea.   
Which was most likely why he was absent from the lab moments before Ward had heavily sighed, threw up his hands, and ended their RST must earlier than scheduled.   
"Sorry, I'm not a robot and I just can't do another step-up, or pull-up, and who the actual fuck came up with the name burpee? I mean, seriously?"  
Despite being fed up, Ward still felt responsible for Skye's growth in the agency in all ways. So as he cleaned up the equipment he'd set out for Skye an hour earlier even than the 'butt-crack of dawn' that he'd encouraged her to wake at, he listened in to their discussion.  
Simmons was in the middle of an experiment, but took her eyes and at least half the attention away from her work to sympathize with the other girl. "I hardly know, Skye. Someone would have to do far more than force my hand to get me out there. Especially someone as advanced as he. Also, I'd have to be paid handsomely."  
"Well, I'm not being paid. It's also not like I'm slacking or not trying."  
"I think he knows that," Simmons said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder as she looked her in the eye and dropped her voice, knowing the Specialist they were talking about would likely be listening in. "I think it's part of the deal to be hard on you. So you don't lose your way. Same as our division, quite a few students are lost early on in the training. It's difficult, the job is harder, and there's always pressure. It's his job, and he is one of the very best at his job. I think you both need to be patient with each other."  
"It's also important to human in between being superhuman." Skye sighs. The thing is, anyone near this training had seen her perform, as well as spontaeously perform brilliantly in the field. She had a long way to go, but she was closer than she thought.  
"Well then you can keep me company while Fitz is taking his own time out from the lab."  
"Hmm, wonder what's up with that...he has been gone way longer than it takes to get some tea. And shouldn't he be bringing you yours? I noticed that's usually the deal. What a good guy," Skye says with a suspicious inflection, and a wink.  
"Oh I so wish people would finally come to understand that it isn't like that." Simmons huffed. "Fitzy and I do so get sick of explaining."  
"Uh huh."  
"Sincerely. And I'll have you know, he's up there right now avoiding his duties and not brewing us both a nice tea with absolute certainly." Simmons points to Fitz's work station, which had it's own order, but was notoriously difficult for anyone outside his discipline to make sense of. "He has something perfectly suited for making tea right there."  
"Right where?"  
"Right...there." Simmons points again, this time muttering a simple 'oh dear' when she accidently tips over a container that sizzles on the floor when it smashes to bits and spills it's odd-smelling contents. "It's ok! It's quite alright, just, whatever you do, don't touch it. And back up slowly."  
"Out of the lab?!" Skye says, moving away from the spill carefully. Staying calm as she'd been told when visiting while the scientists were working with dangerous materials. There was a pamphlet on those sort of procedures too, for dealing with other departments specific and dangerous equipment. It was longer than war and peace. It was also one of the study materials Ward had given her. Although Fitz was the one to explain in a much more entertaining way what was important to know if she was going to hang out in there.  
"No, no, it's not that serious. Just, keep away from it until I clean up."   
In fact, the Scottish scientist had given her plenty of amusing, while slightly terrifying anecdotes about S.H.I.E.L.D.s best and brightest making daily snafus just like anyone else.   
It suddenly dawned on Skye, as she was trying not to inhale some rising fumes (not of the lost experiment but of whatever Simmons was using to neautralize it, or the reaction between the two. Either way, today was probably one of those days that Fitz said he sometimes had to find a 'friendlier' work space.  
Back at the headquarters they ran a large lab with a few great scientists under their command and a lot of interns that neither of them wanted but had to allow as part of finishing their Science and Technology training. It was still up for debate who exactly was responsible but let's just say most people know that Simmons is (adorably) clutzy, especially when her mind is focused on new discoveries.  
One experiment in particular Fitz had said, was somehow spilled inconveniently onto an area that wasn't covered with the usual cushioned floor pads used to prevent breaking valuable equipment. Something shattered, something spilled. It sizzled and burned, and kept burning through two full reinforced floors of home base. Miraculously not damaging much, except the poor floor, and one unlucky Agent Andrews two levels down standing in the wrong place at the wrong time.   
The stories were usually told by Fitz if they included a mistake, and he was properly dramatic about them but lacked the look of serious concern that someone out of that field of study might get when hearing about highly violatile crap escaping the hands of brilliant and responsible people. He laughed when Skye asked "but...wait, what happened to the guy?"  
"Oh! Sorry, yeah. He was fine, really. Got a bit on him, felt a slight burning sensation he later reported, not much worse than splashing a hot drink on yourself. It's only that spot on his arm, and the top of his head, that suffered. Poor bloke. Hair never grew back there." Skye asked Fitz what the purpose was to have something that would burn like acid through the toughest materials on earth but do hardly anything to freakin' human skin. He gave her this look like she might have drooled on herself, then laughed. "Lots. But that's classified."  
Fitz had shared quite a few hilarious stories, including a few where his lovely bots and things had had strange 'quirks' resulting in property damage and general stress for anyone in the lab. "Just so you don't think I'm dragging her good name through the mud. Everybody has their moments. Oh, you should see operations training. It's pretty much all filmed so their superiors can go through and see where each activity and each student can be reviewed for improvement. But as we've said, sometimes, in the field...well, if somebody were to go through all that, you could collect quite the compilation and set it to 'yakety sax'."  
After all that he got deadly serious, up close and personal with those bright blue eyes that suddenly looked haunted. A man that's seen some things. "One warning," he began dramatically. "One you had better heed or else you'll end up like poor Agent Andrews and his permanently hairless head and forearm. Or worse."  
"What, Fitz! Oh my god, what?"  
"If I ever say run, do so. But if Simmons ever calmly utters 'ut oh', panic. I am serious. Oh dear, is fine. She says 'fascinating' when all is well, but especially if she's got a fresh cadaver or something to stink up our lab. However, 'ut oh' means that, in all likelihood we are about to be the subject of a serious total lockdown. Maybe qaurantined for days."  
"That's happened?"  
"Locked in the lab for days, yeah. But it was a new guys fault. All in all pretty funny actually. Slowed progress down significantly, of course. Which is never funny."  
Skye recalls this while Simmons is cleaning up, because in her effort to back up as she'd been instructed, she accidently topples yet another container of weird smelling and already sizzling stuff.   
Agent Simmons looks up, pupils large in her brown eyes being the only visible reaction of worry (for their saftey, for the structural integrity of the lab and the thing currently thousands of feet in the air that was their home). "Ut oh."  
The stuff spills, at first just an odd colored liquid. As the pinkish spill spreads and flows like a river towards Simmons, Skye has time to think that she can smell what can only be described as liquid death. For a split second before anybody realizes there's a problem, the smell gets practically unbearable. Then there's a hissing noise, a bright flowery smell, so the feeling in the room is akin to a horrific accident that's been covered up with heavy duty over-scented cleaning agents. Then, it happens. The thing Skye had been respectful and mindful of, but suspicious that she was still new enough to be the subject of hazing.   
"Ut oh." Nope.   
Skye, panicking in a way she possibly never has, leaps from the floor to onto a bare table away from the growing reaction that was literally headed right for both of them.   
"Oh-my-god-what-the-fuck-barbeque."   
Skye had shrieked out the first thing that came to mind. Hazard of the job, and her generation. It's not the first time some texting shorthand had slipped out of her mouth instead of normal english. Probably her old crowd of faceless hacktivists would think it was a cute, funny quirk. Hopefully, if she lived, her new friends would've just missed it.  
Simmons calmly hits a button that signals an unknown, but dangerous, event in the lab. It locks it down so that no one outside of the area can touch or breath in whatever substance got loose.   
When both girls don't seem to feel any negative effects they tensely watch the pinkish grey blob expand scary fast, then just stop. Stop, except for what is inarguably the startling sound of a balloon popping and quickly letting out air.   
By that time Fitz had returned, forehead and palms pressed against the bomb proof glass door, looking about as scared as the new girl on the other side still is. Soon he presses a button on the keypad outside to ask if everything is stable enough for him to enter.   
"Not hazardous to our health, I believe." Simmons calmly watches the thing deflate, muttering 'fascinating' with a smile. Even looking sort of bummed when it goes away. "Seems to be containing it's self, in fact. Could be useful to note."  
"Then tell the bloody computer to make a note. After you let me in."  
"Uh, just for the record, I am not ok." Skye declares in irriation, still clutching her chest. "I have never been so scared."  
"It's good for you," Ward mutters, having followed Fitz in despite some disagreement about adding another bystander to his problem in his lab. Ward was obviously more concerned for Skye's health than he let on, going straight to her and insisting she have all vitals checked while Fitz fussed over Simmons.   
"I agree, just for safety's sake," Fitz says, looking pointedly at his best friend because she was too busy trying to take note of what had just happened and how it could be repeated to be made of some use. "After we're sure you haven't poisoned yourself or frightened Skye into a minor heart attack."  
"I suppose I can go back over the footage." Simmons sounds disappointed but takes her best friend's advice. "You do worry too much though."  
....Wait, what footage...  
"You were filming?"  
"Certainly, we always do in here. Sometimes we need to review our own work, or one another's, or we just feel like we're missing something that will give us the breakthrough we need."  
"Meaning no one missed you pulling off that miraculous leap onto the table rookie. Today will be the last day you got away with saying the workouts I'm putting together are too advanced for you."  
"Is that really the most important thing we've learned here today?"  
"Maybe not." Ward scratches his chin, makes that same smug face like when he pretended to offer her a chance to switch disciplines only to prove field training wasn't nearly as hard as science and technology. "Hmm, let's see. I won't say if you were still out there with me this wouldn't have happened. I did approve a short break. So that's my bad. So let's see..."  
Fitz cuts Ward off before he can keep teasing. He calls for the system to roll back to a point about five minutes ago, commands it to bring up audio and video on the hollow table. Skye's amusing scream of terror. "I did tell you not to make any sudden moves or loud noises in an emergency. Doubt you meant to say that aloud though. Promise not to give you too much hell for it. Though the footage will be archived as always."  
"Oh, don't let these men get to you. I don't think it was that funny. Not enough to use it against you later of course." Was she being sincere? If it had been Ward, she'd swear it was a facetious statement. "Next time we hang out I promise I'll take a moment away from work."  
Ward and Fitz stepped out to find Coulson, report on the incident and assure him everything was alright. Simple procedure. Skye and Simmons would have to submit a short written statement. Also procedure. And no one was in trouble. But as the boys were walking away, wisely out of the room with ruining surveillance, Skye did hear Ward ask where Fitz had been for the last couple of hours, if Simmons was obviously working with some sketchy stuff today. Fitz's response was difficult to hear because he was softly laughing and walking ahead of Ward (who made a better door than a window, obviously). Though it sure sounded something like, "have you ever met Agent Andrews? He works in filing?"


End file.
